Friday Night’s Main Event 29 August 1997

Craig Wilson

Something a bit different this week with #Rawrewind as this is the first of two weeks where there is no Monday Night Raw. Instead, we have Friday Night’s Main Event which is hosted by Jim Ross & James E. Cornette.

The style is similar to the old Saturday Night’s Main Event with the big matches first and then the mid card matches later in the show. Strange for sure but it means that this week’s show kicks off WWF Champion Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart defending his title against the recently turned face Vader.

All the previous Raw Rewinds can be located here.

Champion Roll Call:

WWF Champion: Bret Hart
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Stone Cold Steve Austin
WWF Tag Team Champions: Stone Cold Steve Austin & Dude Love
WWF European Champion: The British Bulldog

Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jim Cornette in Chicago.

Friday Night’s Main event starts with Shawn Michaels making his way to the ring, complete with steel chair, to be interviewed by JR. HBK stated that a lot of wrestlers have certain personality traits that are stressed, but that he was a real ticking time bomb. He said the WWF kept pushing him, backing him into a corner. As he held up the dented chair he said the WWF got a reaction for pushing him so hard. Michaels said, “Since I’m the only guy with a set of balls here in the WWF, I’ll take what is coming to me.” Many in the crowd began chanting “Shawn is Gay” with his response being bleeped out. He predicted he would be dancing on Undertaker’s corpse after their match at Ground Zero.

Match 1: WWF Champion Bret Hart v Vader (w/ Paul Bearer):

Before the match started Bret taunted his opponent by stating “I don’t know how a big tub of goo like you can walk in and get a title shot just like that, but I’m going to kick your ass. I’m going to kick your fat ass.” Vader clotheslined Bret before breaking the Canadian flag staff over his knee. Worth noting that the way this match was recorded, the announcing was done days after the event so it’s noticeable throughout that the action rarely went near the announcers table nor did the cameras scan to the announce table.

After a commercial break Vader went on offense but when he grabbed a chair, Owen Hart ran in prompting a DQ. British Bulldog followed and that allowed Hart to put the figure-four around the ringpost on Vader until The Patriot made the save.

Winner – Vader via DQ
Match Time – 7.14
Match Score – 3/5. Was OK, finish was blindingly obvious but as a huge fan of both guys it’s kind of difficult for me not to like the match unless it was awful. Which it was not.

After the match JR caught up with The Patriot who, when asked, stated that he doesn’t have a relationship with Vader and just wanted to send a message to Hart.

Next Sunny made her way to ringside and was asked about Pillman’s comments from last week where he announced that he was Dakota Runnels father.

Match 2: Goldust (w/ Marlena) v Salvatore Sincere: Interestingly the man behind Salvatore Sincere now appears on the independent scene as The Patriot. This is a nothing match and despite what JR says “Sincere is one of the most underrated wrestlers in the WWF” he doesn’t offer much at all. After Goldust picks up the win, Pillman comes out and taunts Goldust about Dakota prompting him to chase after Pillman.

Winner – Goldust via pinfall.
Match Time – 3.14
Match Score – 1/5. Meh

JR interviewing Stone Cold in his hotel that was shown on last week’s Raw is War is reaired. This was aired pre Ross stating that we would hear more on Austin’s future next Friday.

Match 3: Dude Love v Rockabilly:

This was nothing as well. Rockabilly is utterly wasted in this role. The only highlight of this one being Dude Love’s “Sweet Shin Music” finisher where he did the HBK corner theatrics before kicking Rockabilly to the shin and then dropping him with a double arm ddt for the win.

Winner – Dude Love via pinfall.
Match Time – 3 mins ish
Match Score – 2/5. Nothing much but entertaining finisher.

Ross interviewed The Taker in the ring. He said Michaels should have known he would get up from the chairshot and that when he gets up he takes a soul with him. Taker hyped his match HHH next Friday and told him he’d make an example of him and that at Ground Zero that Michaels would pay the ultimate price.

Next up, Sable came out modelling an Austin 3:16 t-shirt as Dok Hendrix did his usual voice over.

Match 4: Road Warrior Hawk (w/Animal) v British Bulldog (w/Owen Hart):

Hawk attacked as Bulldog and Owen made their way down to the ring before tossing Bulldog into the ring and stomping away on him. After a few minutes of very little – including Bulldog’s awful chinlock – The Godwinns make their way to the ring to watch the match from a better vantage point.

The cut to a break and when we return Bulldog has Hawk back in a chinlock. This ends when Owen drills Hawk with the tag title belt resulting in a DQ. The LOD clear the ring after the match as the Godwinns make their way to the back.

Winner – Hawk via DQ
Match Time –
Match Score – 2/5. An OK match that was pretty much what you would expect. The commentary made this a lot better than it actually was. Hawk looked to be in a good condition and gave it his all and Bulldog sold well for him.

Match 5: Rocky Maivia & Farooq v Crush & Chainz: At the start, Slaughter sent the other members of The Nation of Domination and The Disciples of Apocalypse to the back. A standard brawl, as you’d expect, which ended with all three factions – NOD, DOA & Los Boricuas – running in, again as you’d expect.

Winner – Double count out.
Match Time – 4.10
Match Score – 2/5. Another OK match with a nice bit of chaos at the end. Rocky is really starting to come into his own now.

Match 6: Jerry Lynn v Taka Michinoku:

Like many lightheavyweight matches, this one is very difficult to write up. Early on Lynn overshot a somersault plancha and Taka whipped him into the railing at ringside.

Back in the ring and Michinoku connects with a dropkick to the back of the head to the seated Lynn before a top rope huracanrana gives him a nearfall.

At the three minute Taka connects with a springboard plancha. Lynn quickly returns to the ring and legwhipped Taka to the mat and went for a leglock submission. Taka punched his way out of it, but misses with a moonsault.

Lynn is able to connect with a Ligerbomb for a nearfall of his own. Taka soon fights back and hits top rope dropkick followed with the Michinoku Driver for the victory here.

Winner – Taka via pinfall.
Match Time – 5.24
Match Score – 4/5. The best match of the night by quite a distance. Some really good spots and great fluidity from the two.

Match 7: Recon & Sniper (w/Commandant and Interrogator) v The Head Bangers:

Standard action for much of this one. At the six minute mark Thrasher makes the hog tag and Mosh is in. He hits Recon with an enziguiri but the pin is broken by Sniper. As they set up Recon for their finisher, Interrogator knocks Thrasher off the top rope allowing Recon to roll him up, holding the tights, to gain the win.

Winner – Sniper & Recon via pinfall.
Match Time – 7.02
Match Score – 2/5

Overall Thoughts. An OK show. Opening bout was good and the match pitting Jerry Lynn v Taka Michinoku was excellent. The rest, though, was nothing to really write home about.

Overall score – 2/5